Iron Heart
by wave-of-desire
Summary: AU/AH: Set during the time of the Second World War. Caroline's homeland of Poland becomes occupied by the German army. After experiencing loss, tragedy and the violence of war, Caroline's whole world is about to shift once again when she meets a British Pilot, Niklaus Mikaelson.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **

**Disclaimer – I do not own any of the characters; they originate from The Vampire Diaries. **

**I would love to thank Inge for the lovely cover and my beta for editing my work. This is the first fic that I have written so I hope you guys enjoy! Constructive criticism is always welcome **

It is the year 1940 and Europe is at war. Germany has invaded and gained control of almost all the countries on mainland Europe. Britain is the last free country standing. In an attempt to break British confidence, the German Luftwaffe has been raiding strategic British airfields and ports. The goal of the Germans was to hit British war industries in order to make them too weak to fight, and surrender to German control. Little did British civilians know that the German tactic was about to change one night.

**Prologue **

**Klaus, Britain, 1940**

Klaus awoke to the booming sound of alarms going off yet again for the fourth night in a row. He grunted as he pushed his covers aside and walked sheepishly over to his dresser. He lazily dressed himself in a t-shirt and a pair of pants wondering if there was going to be an actual attack tonight or if this alarm was another precautionary action. Couldn't Klaus just get through one night of sleep without being interrupted by the bomb alarms. If Klaus can't fight in the war why should he be forced into underground bunkers where all he can do is sit and wait. His father would pass the hours reminding Klaus of his cowardice and his inability to protect his family and Britain. It was nights like tonight that made Klaus feel utterly alone and useless.

Shaking the thought from his head Klaus began to make his way to his family's underground cellar, but a hand stopped him and forced him to turn around.

"Niklaus, let's go outside and watch the attack from the roof! I want to see the airfields!" exclaimed an excited Henrik. "Please!"

The boy was practically bouncing up and down and giving Klaus those puppy dog eyes. Klaus would love nothing more than to be out there with the action but he had to be reasonable, at least for his brother's sake. "Father will have my head for this, Henrik. Besides its too dangerous, the Germans are unpredictable and what kind of person wants to watch our defense get destroyed any way?" Klaus asked as he turned away from his brother and once again started his journey toward the cellar. As much as he wanted to see the light show, Klaus knew his father would kill him if anything happened to Henrik.

"Please Nik. You promised you would take me to the airfields one day but every time I ask you say it's too dangerous." Henrik began to pout; ever since the war started his brother has given him nothing but broken promises. Henrik loved Klaus of course, but he was tired of being cooped up in the house with promises of adventure and action that never fall through.

"I said no." Klaus stated in a stern tone as he continued his pursuit toward safety. "Like I said, father would have my head." His father and the safety of his brother was the only thing keeping him from running outside.

Henrik quickly ran to catch up and stood in front of his brother. "Oh come on Nik, where is your sense of adventure! Our brothers are out fighting in the war. Both Elijah and Finn are a part of the British air force, what if we see their planes up in the sky."

"They wont…"

"What if they do." Henrik interrupted. "They may be called in as backup; you know the German raids never end well for us. We can never get planes off the ground because they are all being bombed, the only way to stop it is to send backup from another field. We are both stuck here. I know you want to be out there. We are just going to watch, it's not like we are running into the airfield saying 'HIT ME!'" Henrik threw his arms in the air jokingly and imitated being an open target.

Klaus couldn't help but laugh. His brother did have a good point; he wanted to be out there, fighting alongside his brothers, making sure they were okay. "Alright fine, but we are going to the streets – not the roof. If something goes wrong, or even looks like it is going wrong, I want to be able to make a quick getaway back to the cellar."

"But Nik…" Henrik protested with a childish whine.

"No not another word. You either accept this or we go into the cellar right this instant."

"Fine," said Henrik in a defeated tone.

As Henrik and Klaus made their way outside, they were met with an eerie silence. The attacks haven't started yet, but you could tell, everyone in Britain was holding their breath waiting in anticipation.

"It's a good thing we live on top of a hill so we can see the airfields!" Henrik exclaimed excitedly. Klaus just looked over at him and gave his thirteen year old brother a nervous smile. Something did not feel right.

He could feel it in the bottom of his gut.

It was then that they saw the German planes fly over them. Henrik was bouncing up and down with excitement along with a look of amazement on his face. He hoped that their airfield was prepared for the attack this time' he wanted them to fight back.

Henrik suddenly stopped what he was doing when he saw where the first bomb landed… at the edge of town, nowhere close to where the airfields were located.

"Henrik lets go," Klaus stated in a firm tone as he grabbed onto Henriks arm and began to pull him away.

Henrik tried to protest, trying his best to struggle out from his brother's protective grasp. "No Nik stop, maybe they just dropped the bomb too early, there is no way anyone would bomb a city full of people."

"HENRIK, I SAID WE ARE GOING," Klaus shouted at the smaller boy. It was then that Klaus and Henrik noticed a group of German planes hovering above them, circling their town. As if in slow motion Klaus saw the planes begin to drop what seemed like a dozen bombs all at once. "RUN" Klaus hollered as they began to run towards the cellar, explosions beginning to go off all around them. Buildings began to explode while creating pockets of fire that began to heat up the town. Klaus and Henrik were running for their lives as well as trying to dodge the falling rubble. Klaus couldn't believe they were bombing a city full of people! It was then that he heard a scream come from behind him.

"Klaus!" Henrik cried out in pain. Klaus turned around to see his brother on the ground with his legs trapped under rubble that came from their fallen house due to the impact of an explosion. Klaus immediately ran over and tried to lift the beam that was crushing his brother's leg, but it wouldn't budge. He had to do something quick as he heard more planes approaching. He tried with all his might to lift the beam one more time, but just as the last time it wouldn't move. "Nik you need to get out of here I'll be fine," Henrik said as he looked up to his brother with pain and fear in his eyes.

"No...I am not leaving you! Do you hear me," Klaus stated as he continually tried to lift the beam off of his brother, using all his strength possible to budge the piece of wood just a little bit farther than before.

"Nik, they are coming, it is no use. Save yourself." His voice was strained as he coughed weakly.

"NO! I AM NOT LEAVING YOU DO YOU HEAR ME!" Klaus screamed, tears now rolling down his face. Why couldn't he move this stupid beam! An explosion to the left of them shook Klaus off his feet and landed him on his back a couple feet away from Henrik.

It was then that Henrik noticed the unsteadiness of the rubble that loomed above him. He saw his brother slowly make his way back toward him as he recovered from the blow. He would not let his brother die along with him. Too many in his family were already off at war, who knows if they were to come back. The Mikaelson family would not lose another son if Henrik could prevent it.

As Klaus reached Henrik, he went straight for the beam in an attempt to move it once again. "Nik," Henrik whispered.

"NO!" Klaus protested.

"I Love you," Henrik exclaimed as he pushed Klaus with all his might out of the way, as the rubble came tumbling down on top of him.

"Henrik!" Klaus cried out as he frantically ran toward the pile of rubble, moving all the debris off of his brother. Struggling, Klaus eventually dug deep enough and located his brothers' frail body. After noticing the he gash on Henrik's forehead, Klaus looked down into his brother's now closed eyes. Klaus realized he would never see their light again. A light that is rare to find within people; strong willed and optimistic. Henrik always put others needs before his own.

"Henrik," Klaus cried as he began to stroke his brothers face, "I'm sorry I failed you as a brother."

Tears rolled down Klaus' face as he cradled Henrik's head in his arms. Klaus did not care or pay any attention as to what was happening around him. He forgot about the war, the bombs and the Germans. Nothing mattered, his brother was gone and never coming back.

It was then that he felt two strong sturdy arms pull him up from the street. "Niklaus, let's go. Henrik is gone, we are not safe out here. Henrik would want us to be safe."

Mikael stared in disbelief as he saw his youngest son immersed in the rubble unmoving. As much as he wanted to grieve in the moment he had to get his other son to safety. He would deal with Klaus then.

Klaus recognized the sound of his father's voice and realized what he had done. He had killed Henrik, it was his fault they were out on the streets and not in the cellar. Klaus couldn't help but drop to the floor as sobs shook his body.

"Come on boy," said Mikael. "It's not safe out here."

Klaus didn't know how Mikael managed to drag him into the cellar, but once he was safe Klaus dropped to the floor allowing himself to feel the loss of his brother. Klaus was unaware of his family around him. He never thought it possible but Klaus felt so much more alone than before.

"What have I done," Klaus muttered as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness for what seemed like hours.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Departed

*** Authors note: Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who decided to follow/favourite my story. It really means the world to me. Also, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They put a smile on my face and made me want to work so much harder on this story just for you guys! **

_**SingLikeThere'sNobodyListening: **_**They are human in this story, no vampires sorry. Who knows maybe my next fic will be supernatural based. **

**Here is the first official chapter so please enjoy! Once again thank you to my beta; without her I'd be lost.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Departed**

Klaus was awoken when he felt a sudden weight shift onto his bed. Not wanting to make his consciousness known, he stayed perfectly still hoping that whoever it was would eventually leave him alone. Fake sleeping was not his strong suit as his family was well educated on the fact that Klaus was a light sleeper. However, Klaus decided to risk it and stick to the charade.

Klaus could take a wild guess as to who his unwelcomed visitor was; his mother has not spoken to him since Henrik's death and Mikael did not approach Klaus unless it was to lash out his anger. Judging by the stillness of the figure it was not Mikael, he would have stricken Klaus already, asleep or not.

"Come on, I know you're awake." A feminine voice began to drift through the air.

Deciding to give up on the act, Klaus flipped over begrudgingly to face his intruder. "Go away Rebekah. I was attempting to sleep until you rudely interrupted me; we all know I cannot sleep if there is a living, breathing thing in my room."

The beautiful blonde couldn't help but let out a small smirk. She has missed her brother's joking and banters. Klaus hasn't said or done much in the past week since Henrik's death, he had been nothing but miserable and easily angered. Mikael's treatment toward her brother did not help the situation the least bit. In order to avoid confrontation Klaus would remain in his room doing god knows what. He didn't even bother to come down to eat. Rebekah could only guess that he would sneak out his room at night in order to retrieve what little rations they had.

Shaking her drifting thoughts out of her head, Rebekah focused on why she came to her brother's room. "I brought you some tea. Mother just made a fresh kettle." Rebekah silently placed the steaming cup of tea on her brother's side table. "And there is some breakfast left, you should really eat Nik."

Klaus automatically looked down to his sister's hands at the steaming tea. He knew there was more to Rebekah's visit than a cup of tea. "Now now Rebekah, we all know you didn't come here to play mother to me. What is it you really want?"

Sighing Rebekah responded, "Mother's worried about you."

"Oh, is she?" Klaus interrupted sarcastically, "Because I haven't heard as much of a word escape her lips since Henrik died. She can't even look at me." Now frustrated, Klaus threw the covers off of him and made his way over to his dresser, attempting to find a shirt in hopes of some distraction. He did not want to lash out at his innocent sister, but he needed to control his emotions and stay calm.

Turning around to face her brother, Rebekah responded in a soft tone. "She loves you in her own way, you know. Just give her some time."

"She despises me."

"No she's hurt. This is the second son she has lost. One in childbirth and now to war, no mother should have to bury their child." Rebekah rose from the bed and made her way to her brother who seemed to be gripping onto the dresser for dear life.

"It's my fault she has to bury Henrik in the first place." Klaus was trying to hold back tears. Not only did he fail Henrik, but he failed the rest of the family. He could only imagine what his brothers would say to him when they returned from war and learned the news of their deceased youngest brother. "I brought him outside to his death, instead of to the cellar where he would have been safe and alive."

Rebekah knew no words could heal or comfort her brother, so she stayed silent and walked around her brother's room in order to give him time and space to cool down. His room was messier than normal; the curtains were shut not letting in a single beam of light and candle wax had melted and hardened onto his furniture. The thing that caught Rebekah's eye was her brother's painting station; all the oils were left open and had dried out. His prized paintbrushes now were ruined with hardened paint all over them. It was unlike her brother to be so careless in his work, let alone with his tools.

Rebekah turned back around to face her brother who stood immobilized in the same position at his dresser. Klaus was spiraling downward and there was nothing she could do. "This is war Nik, death is a part of it. We were just one of the unfortunate ones. Henrik was not the only one to perish that night."

Klaus just shook his head. He knew what people thought; his parents held him responsible and deep down Klaus knew a part of Rebekah blamed him to. How could they not?

"This is not what I came here to talk about." Rebekah attempted to change the subject.

"Please do spill the beans my dear sister, enlighten me. What brings you to my chambers; deep down I know you blame me for Henkrik, just as I do." Klaus turned around to face his sister; he just wanted to be alone.

"Keep it up Nik and you will push everyone away."

"I said talk." Klaus wanted answers and he wanted them now.

Sighing dejectedly, Rebekah turned around to face her brother. "Mother found a way to get out of here, out of Britain." Rebekah said nervously as she glanced up from the floor to analyze the reaction on Klaus' face.

Sparking his attention, Klaus barged up to his sister and stood an inch away from her face. "What?" Klaus questioned.

"We have to move quickly, we leave at sundown. A British ship is making its way to America, to a town called Mystic Falls. They are to send British soldiers there to train future American soldiers who will later be sent over to Europe to fight in war. Father is to pretend to be one so we may get on the ship. He has promising connections."

"And why have I yet to hear of this?!" Klaus was now clearly enraged. This type of information was not something you would just come buy suddenly. It took extensive planning and communication amongst several parties. There had to have been intent in order to plan to run away. His family had left Klaus out of these plans and he was only hearing of them last minute through Rebekah. Were they even going to tell him or was he to wake up tomorrow and find everyone gone?

Rebekah now fearful of her brother's temper began to stutter, "M-mother and father, they wanted to protect the rest of the family after Henrik's death and—"

"They weren't going to tell me, were they?" Klaus interrupted as he began shouting at his beloved sister.

Seeing the hurt in his eyes, Rebekah grabbed Klaus' arms and shook her brother in order to make him look at her. "Listen to me." Rebekah chimed. "Mother wanted to tell you, she did. That is why she has been avoiding you. Father threatened to leave her if she so much as opened her mouth to you. I didn't want to tell you this but he says you deserve to die here if you can't bring honour to the family. I am telling you of his plan because I love you Nik, always and forever. You're my brother."

And there it was; the cowardice that his father always accused him of.

Rebekah only saw pain flicker across Klaus' face for a brief moment before her brother skillfully masked his emotions. She knew telling Klaus wasn't going to be easy but he deserved to know. Letters were being sent out to her other brothers so they could join them after the war. Rebekah promised to keep her family together and she was not about to break it now, even with Henrik gone.

"Alexander is attempting to find another way to escape…."

Klaus quickly interrupted his sister's confession. "Ah my little sister being a strumpet are we? Got bored of the last one, or did he tire of you?"

"Shut up Nik! I am trying to talk to you, can't you see that I am here for you!" She barked at her brother frustrated.

"No I don't. You are too busy warming up the beds of anyone who bats their eyelashes at you."

Tears began to swell up in Rebekah's eyes. Shaking his head, Klaus couldn't help but give a small laugh to his sister's reaction; she was so easily touched by words. No wonder her track record with men wasn't the greatest.

Noticing his brother's reaction, Rebekah began to raise her voice and lashed back. "Go right ahead. Laugh at the girl who loved to easy, but I would rather live my life than yours Nik." Tears began to flow down the blonde's delicate face. Klaus shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the floor to avoid his sister's gaze. "No one will ever sit around a table telling stories about a man who couldn't love. So do it Nik, look me in the eye and tell me how foolish I am."

Rebekah continued to stare intently at Klaus while sniffling away tears.

The words that escaped the blonde's mouth stopped Klaus in his tracks. It was just another reminder that he was doomed to be alone.

A long silence stretched out between the siblings. No one bothered to move or break the tension; each was alone in their own thoughts.

After what seemed like several minutes, Rebekah wiped away her final tear and spoke up. "We leave at sundown." Rebekah stated somberly. "Meet at the docks if you wish to come. If not have a good life Nik."

Rebekah turned her back toward her brother and walked toward the door. Standing in the threshold, Rebekah turned around to take one last look at her brother. He stood in the same spot still as a statue, not one for emotion to be read easily on his face. She wished her brother would find comfort in his life, whether it was with her or someplace else, she just wanted him to be happy.

No matter what her brother chose to do, she would love him none the less.

Always and forever.

xxxx

**Poland, December 1940 **

It had been close to two years since Katerina Petrova had been on the run, two long years since she had a home.

Katerina was making her way down the barren streets of Poland while trying to protect her face from the blistering cold wind. Shivering, Katerina attempted to wrap what was left of her scarf around her mouth and ears. Even though she was successful, the thin and dainty material of the scarf failed to provide much warmth or protection to Katerina's body. At this moment she would do anything for a nice warm fire, but she couldn't build one because she did not want to draw the attention of the German soldiers. Katerina knew if drew any unneeded attention to herself, death was soon to follow.

_A jacket—or any piece of clothing would do, _Katerina thought as she continued her pursuit into town. It would not be as warm as a crackling fire, but it would enough to provide adequate protection from the blistering wind.

When Katerina first came to Poland from Bulgaria in 1938, she was able to seek refuge with a couple roughly her age. Trevor and Rose were close friends to the Petrova family and when Katerina came knocking on their door, they welcomed her with open arms. The first year that Katerina spent in Poland was a rather peaceful year; she learned all of the Polish customs and eventually was able to blend in well enough that no newcomers could suspect she was Bulgarian; if someone suspected her of being foreign; it was because her name gave it away. Despite all the hardships that Katerina endured in the past, she could envision a new life within Poland; a new home and possibly a new family.

Such dreams were too good to be true.

Katerina's fantasy came crashing down in September 1939 when war was declared and Poland became occupied territory. Trevor and Rose advised Katerina to stay indoors in order to protect her identity. Since Bulgaria was an ally of Germany, German soldiers would not act favourably towards a Bulgarian runaway who sought refuge with the enemy. For the most part, life remained relatively normal during the first couple of months of occupation. Despite the increasing hunger, abuse and murder within Poland, life was able to go on as long as a blind eye was turned away from the horrors. That was until one wintery night in January of 1940.

Katerina remembered waking up in the middle of the night to incessant and ferocious banging and shouting at their front door. German soldiers barged into their home and appeared to be looking for someone. It was only after Trevor asked the German soldiers who they were looking for that Katerina realized they were looking for her. After listening to the conversation from the second floor, it turned out that their neighbours two houses down sold her out to the Germans in order to protect their children one night during a raid. Katerina couldn't blame them, she would have done the same thing in the circumstance, but if she wanted to protect herself, she had to get out and run. Quietly sneaking back into her room, Katerina realized that the bedroom window was her only chance of escape. Not taking the risk to bid her final goodbyes to Trevor and Rose, Katerina jumped from the second floor and landed with a thud that vibrated through her entire body. After she composed herself, Katerina ran as fast as she could.

She spent the night in the woods and it wasn't until the next day that she realized Trevor and Rose were dead. She returned to the house in an attempt to find her friends, but when Katerina arrived she found Trevor with his head severed off as well as Rose lying beside him; as far as Katerina could tell she had been shot in the heart. Due to the public display of the bodies, the brunette could only guess that the Germans utilized their murders as a sort of reminder to the Polish people to not rebel against German authority. It was a message. Katerina's running had cost her friends their lives.

There was no time to feel guilty.

From that day forward, Katerina continued to run.

The streets of Poland remained barren and empty. Ever since Poland became occupied by German soldiers, citizens remained indoors and hardly traveled into town. People were too frightened to leave the safety of their homes; to enter into the public sphere meant to risk confrontations with German soldiers. The encounters between Polish citizens and German soldiers were hardly peaceful, and if anyone acted or said something that the Germans did not approve of or did not like, they would be shot on site. No questions, no trial, just straight massacres. Katerina could swear the Germans shot innocent civilians just for fun.

However, the emptiness of the streets worked to Katerina's advantage. She would travel into town, raid the markets for food and clothing and eventually make her way back to the outskirts of town, into hiding. Due to the harsh cold that had plagued Poland over the last couple of days, Katerina noticed that the market was even more barren than usual. The majority of the shops were closed and the only one that seemed to be open was a man selling beaded jewelry. Katerina began to approach the man in hopes that he had some food on him and that he would be willing to give.

"Hello sir." Katerina stated as she plastered a fake smile on her face. "What lovely pieces of jewelry you have." A soft voice escaped Katerina's lips in an attempt to act genuinely interested in front of the man.

The man seemed to be reading the newspaper. He looked up from the flimsy paper to acknowledge Katerina. After giving her a small nod he returned to his reading. Pretending to look at the jewelry, Katerina cleared her throat and began to speak once again.

"So what brings you out into the market on this fine cold day? Everyone else seems to have stayed home." Katerina glanced up from the trinkets to the man in order to analyze his reaction.

The man didn't even raise his head to acknowledge the girl's question. "Got mouths to feed, can't miss a day, even if I get only one customer it is better than none." After a brief pause the man quickly glanced up, "What about you missy? By the looks of your wardrobe it seems like you don't got a lot of money to spend on jewelry, so what is it that you want?"

Sighing, Katerina decided to drop the small talk and cut to the chase. "I have three children back home who are in need of food. I came here in hopes to find some. And possibly warm clothing; the weather seems to become harsher every day." Katerina had quickly learned that if you mention starving children to strangers, they would be more willing to donate.

"Sorry lady, can't help you there. If I could I would. I am desperate enough, why do you think I am trying to sell jewelry during a war?" The man's frustration began to show as he threw down his newspaper and stared intently at his crafts. Not bothering to look up, he began to speak once again. "I suggest you start heading home now, storms going to hit soon and you don't want to be stuck in that." The man began to pack up his things. Katerina noticed the look in his eyes, it was one of hope vanishing.

Feeling defeated, Katerina gave the man a small thank you and began to walk away. It had been days since she had anything to eat. Panic and anxiety began to build inside of Katerina, there was a storm rolling in which meant everyone would remain indoors which would then lessen her chance at obtaining food. Tears began to swell in her eyes, _I am going to die here, on the street. _She was already weak and could not walk straight. Her body felt numb because it was filled with cold air; Katerina couldn't even remember what heat felt like.

She was slowly withering away.

Not paying attention, Katerina tripped over an abandoned wooden crate and fell to the icy ground.

She was too exhausted to pick herself back up, and too weak to even move_. _

_Why even bother?_ Katerina thought. She just wanted to lie there and face the inevitable; sooner or later the coldness would settle in her body and death would eventually take her.

_Death_… _what an awfully big adventure that would be_, Katerina pondered as she remained still on the frozen ground. In that gloomy moment, Katerina became content with the idea of death, it would take away all of the suffering and pain from her miserable life.

She had accepted her fate.

As the minutes passed by, Katerina's body began to numb. She could no longer feel the cold or the icy ground beneath her. _If this is what dying feels like, I cannot complain,_ Katerina thought as her mind became accustomed to the idea.

After what felt like hours on the frozen floor, Katerina noticed a shady figure emerge in front of her vision. Squinting her drained eyes, she barely made out the character compiling of pale white skin and wavy golden hair. As Katerina's eyes began to adjust she noticed piercing blue eyes and rosy red lips that only an angel could have. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Mesmerized, Katerina reached up to the figure and stroked her hair. "Are you an angel?" Katerina asked in a hoarse voice as she dropped her arm as it became too difficult to hold up.

After hearing the words that escaped the fragile brunette's mouth, the blonde stranger knew she was not in good condition. She placed her empty basket on the ground and used both hands to help the young woman up. After successfully getting Katerina on her feet, she began to stumble and fall with the weight of them both. Readjusting the brunette's body higher on her body, the stranger grabbed onto Katerina with two hands in order to steady them both. "Careful now." She hushed as she continued to support the majority of Katerina's weight. "I am going to take you back to my place, do you think you can try and walk?"

Katerina did not respond to the woman's soft words, she just continued to stare off into the distance with a dazed expression. Taking a chance, the woman began to take a couple of steps forward. Katerina soon followed suit behind the blonde, taking one slow step at a time as moving proved more difficult than she anticipated with her fatigued body.

After forty-five minutes of stumbling through ice, snow and slush the two finally reached a house in the farming district of town. Once inside, the blonde gently placed a shivering Katerina on the couch and wrapped her in all the blankets she could find. Almost instantly, the brunette passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. With Katerina fast asleep, the blonde stranger took the time to build a large fire in order to warm the girl.

Once the fire was built, she made her way into the kitchen in order to start dinner. She placed water on the stove to boil in order to make stew. After analyzing the brunette's frail body on the couch, the blonde came to the conclusion that the girl was terribly weak and unwell; she needed to make something that would be easy for the mystery woman to digest.

After an hour and a half of chopping ingredients and adding spices to the water, the woman began to hear rustling come from her living room which suggested that Katerina was waking up. Wiping her hands on her apron, she grabbed the warm cup of tea and quickly added lemon in it before she made her way back to the living room. Placing the tea on the side table, the woman went to add more wood to the fire and waited for the woman to finally come to.

Katerina slowly drifted in and out of consciousness. She woke up content; a warmth like she had never felt before filled her body and her back no longer ached as she felt like she was lying on a cloud. Katerina was so comfortable she did not want to open her eyes. _If this is what death feels like I do not want to wake up. _

A soft humming suddenly sparked Katerina's interest. Groaning, she reluctantly rolled on her back and began to open her eyes. At first everything remained a blur, colours and images blended together as her eyes tried their best to adjust to the dim lighting. After a couple of minutes, her eyes began to focus to her surroundings. The first thing that Katerina noticed was the wooden ceiling and the soft couch material beneath her. _What the hell?_ Katerina thought. _How did I get here? Where am I? _

Looking around more, Katerina noticed the large fireplace with a blonde woman crouching beside it. It seemed that Katerina had found the source of the humming. She attempted to sit up but fell back down as she clutched her head from dizziness.

Hearing the rustling behind her, the woman turned around and saw Katerina struggling to sit up. She dropped the fire poker and made her way over to the brunette, crouching at the end of the couch so she could be at the same eye level as the exhausted woman. She began to speak in a soft tone in order to prevent frightening the fragile girl, "Hello my name is Caroline." She beamed at Katerina with a warm smile on her face.

"Katerina Petrova." Katerina croaked out as she continued to clutch her pounding head.

Reaching to the end table, Caroline grabbed the now warm cup of tea and handed it to woman on the couch. "Here, drink this. I found you on the floor in the market square. This tea should help warm up the insides."

Katerina began to sip the tea, moaning instantly at the warm liquid. The sweet water was enough to send Katerina over the edge; she hadn't tasted anything this wonderful in ages. Unable to container herself, Katerina gulped the rest of the tea down in one breath. Not only did the wonderful taste of the tea lift her spirits, but she felt the warmth spread throughout her body.

Caroline watched the event with a small smirk on her face. "You must be starving."

Katerina who had totally forgot about the blonde's presence, glanced up to her and wiped some dripping tea from the corner of her mouth. "You wait right here, I prepared a nice stew. You must be famished, I'll go grab a bowl for you."

Caroline grabbed the empty coffee mug and made her way back to the kitchen. She refilled it up and grabbed the soup and a small bread roll. Walking back into the other room, Caroline placed the items on a tray and brought it over to Katerina who was now sitting up on the couch. "I also got you some more tea."

Katerina grabbed the tray of food that was being handed to her. The food smelt absolutely delicious and tasted better than the tea she had previously engulfed. Remembering she had an audience, Katerina tried her best to pace herself while she ate.

When she was finished, "thank you," were the only words that she could get out.

There were not enough words to describe the stranger's generosity toward her. After what happened to Trevor and Rose, she felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she knew Caroline had unknowingly put herself in danger at her cost. It was then Katerina decided she owed to come clean with her.

She placed the last bit of the roll back on her plate that Caroline had so graciously given her after being welcomed into her home. "Caroline, there is something I need to tell you." Katerina cleared her throat as she glanced up to the woman nervously.

"Hush now dear, we can chat later. You must be starving and freezing, finish up your meal and then we can talk. You need to regain your strength and energy."

Sighing heavily, Katerina quickly finished the rest of her meal and placed the tray on the side table on the right side of the couch. Caroline smiled and walked over to the couch and sat beside Katerina. She handed the young woman a wool blanket which Katerina eagerly draped over herself. "If you are still cold we can move you closer to the fireplace so you can warm yourself up, we wouldn't want you getting sick now."

Katerina smiled graciously but shook her head, "I am fine thank you Caroline. Really, your generosity have been very heartwarming."

"Talk to me." Caroline stated as she turned to face the brunette and grabbed her cold frail hands. "Tell me what happened. Do you have a home? Are there any children or relatives waiting for you? What happened in the market?"

Caroline was genuinely concerned for the woman. If she could take away the pain and suffering for one person in this brutal war, she could die a happy person.

Tears began to fill Katerina's eyes as she remembered all she had lost. "No." Katerina whispered faintly. "I'm all alone." Taking one hand out of Caroline's grasp, she wiped away a tear that escaped from her eyes. "Caroline, I am a runaway citizen from Bulgaria fleeing from the support of Nazi rule. I came to Poland expecting to be free and safe, but that was before the Germans and Russians took over." Not wanting to hide anything from the girl who saved her life, Katerina wanted to ensure Caroline knew the danger of having a runaway in her home.

She owed her that.

"For the past year I have been living on the outskirts of town in abandoned buildings scrounging for clothing and food. If the soldiers find me, they will punish me for running away from an allied state, and then they will probably punish you for assisting me." Katerina slowly looked up timidly to Caroline's face in order to gauge her reaction. She was expecting to see the expression of shock and fear on Caroline's face, hell she was half expecting the blonde to chase her out of the house and report her to the German soldiers right then and there.

As her confession came to an end, to her surprise Caroline placed a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder and warmly smiled. "You don't need to be afraid, I suspected you were foreign when you first stated your name. We should change your name to make it sound less Bulgarian, Katherine sounds nice, and it is very similar to Katerina so it shouldn't be that hard to remember. You should also borrow my cousins last name, Pierce—and if anyone asks we shall say you moved here with us after you lost your family in the war and that I am your cousin and the only family you have left. We shall say that you originally lived on the side of Poland that is now under Russian control." Caroline smiled back at Katherine and welcomed her with a hug. "I do not wish the horror of homelessness and poverty on you. Please, make yourself at home Katerina." Caroline let out a hopeful laugh as she gave the brunette a knowing smile, "—or should I say, _Katherine_."

"Caroline, I cannot put you in this sort of danger. I have already killed two loyal friends of the family by association, I do not want you to meet the same fate. It's asking too much." Katerina stated as tears once again starting dripping down her cheek.

"Nonsense. No one knows who you are here, and I could use the extra set of hands once you're healthy again. It will work Katherine, trust me." Caroline looked into the brunette's eyes and waited for her response.

"I have nowhere else to go." Katherine cried out as Caroline embraced the young woman in a hug.

"Hush now, everything will work out, you will see. I promise. I will take care of you; we will help each other survive this war."

Katherine hugged the blonde tighter as she nodded at Caroline's words. She would make it up to Caroline, even if it was the last thing she did.

"Promise?" Caroline questioned as she pulled the brunette back into sight.

"I promise."

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**Endnote: Just wanted to say sorry for making Katherine a little OOC in this chapter. I promise her fun/snarky personality will come into play. **

**Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! **


	3. Chapter 2 - Homecoming

**Authors Note: Here is the next chapter! **

**I also just wanted to give you guys a fair warning that there will be a few more chapters before Klaus and Caroline meet. Please don't kill me lol :P **

**Thank you for the lovely reviews! Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think, it really keeps me motivated to write. **

** - _To the guest that asked about Caroline being aryan_ - It will come into play later in the story! **

**_- Klarolineshipperxoxo and Clarity23 _- I know Katherine and Caroline do not really fit the Polish description or any of the other characters I will introduce you to for that matter but I really wanted to use these characters in this story and hopefully can make it somewhat believable. Thank you for the support! **

**If you want to talk to me directly about this story follow me on tumblr at .com **

**I hope you guys enjoy! **

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**Chapter 2 – Homecoming **

**Poland, April 1941 **

Caroline Forbes woke up to the sound of a rooster at the crack of dawn. She grunted and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head in an attempt to block out the surrounding noise. Caroline wished she could just spend the day doing nothing in her bed as she was dreading the day of work that was ahead of her; farming in order to fulfill quotas as well as traveling to town in order to try and sell some goods in exchange for money. The completion of these tasks were essential, it was a matter of life or death for her. After a few more moments of stillness, Caroline eventually opened her eyes and peered out the window. The sky was a magnificent pink and purple colour with streaks of golden yellow and orange breaking through the clouds. She stared at the sky mesmerized by the beauty that dawn brought and how peaceful she felt; all of her fears and worries drifted away for the moment. If only she could take this feeling with her throughout the day. Sighing one last time, Caroline slowly got out of bed and prepared herself of the day awaiting her.

Traveling downstairs Caroline's nostrils became engulfed with the warm smell of fresh bread. Curious as to who was up at this hour, the blonde strolled into the kitchen where she witnessed her friend attempting to knead dough. _This should be interesting,_ Caroline thought as she paused in the doorway and leaned on the frame in order to watch the scene unfold in front of her.

Her friend seemed to be working in quite a frenzy. A cursing and muttering Katherine had on a white apron that was mostly covered in flour and other sticky substances which were unknown. The brunette's hair also turned into a shade of grey as the flour somehow covered a majority of the long dark luscious curls that were currently tied back.

"Shit!" Katherine swore as she dropped the dough and ran to the oven in a hurry. Caroline watched with a smirk as Katherine wiped her dirty hands on her already filthy apron before opening the oven. When she did, a thick cloud of smoke escaped which left Katherine coughing as she reached for the oven mitts and removed the bread.

That is when a laughing Caroline decided to step in.

"Having trouble, are we?"

"Hmm what?" The brunette stated as she quickly composed herself in order to hide the fact that she was struggling. "No, I got it. Everything is fine." Katherine kicked the oven closed in an attempt to hide the burning smell of bread and plastered a fake smile on her face. Caroline knew that smile all too well; one that secretly read, _I am not getting into any trouble at all or doing something that I should not be doing._

Sighing, Caroline began to make her way over to her friend. "Please Katherine, the bread is burnt. I do have eyes, you know." Caroline reached over to turn off the oven and then grabbed the pan out of Katherine's hands and placed it on the counter.

"Hey! I am getting better, look at the first batch I made. It's not perfect but at least it's not burnt to a crisp!" Katherine was truly excited with her work, she thought she deserved some sort of recognition.

Caroline couldn't help but smirk at her friend, how could someone be such a bad cook? "Well then I guess we have breakfast. Can you cut some up and put jam on it please while I attempt to salvage what dough is left."

Katherine nodded and began cutting the bread while Caroline began to clean up the mess her friend made. Ever since Katerina Petrova entered into Caroline's home, it seemed she was cleaning more messes than usual. However, Caroline wouldn't have it any other way.

Katherine's actions this morning then made Caroline curious. The household was already struggling to maintain a steady food supply; Katherine would not be foolish enough to waste what they had. "What are you doing up so early anyway, and why were you cooking?"

"Couldn't sleep." A long pause lingered after the brunette's words. "I had a nightmare." Shrugging her shoulders, Katherine attempted to pretend like it was no big deal. But the truth of the matter was, the same nightmare plagued her mind every single night since the last Great War. The only way she could shake the horror from her dreams was to keep her body and mind busy in order to create a distraction; this morning it just so happened to turn out to be baking.

Not thinking much of it, Caroline put her attention back to the task at hand. Nightmares were reoccurring for all people living in an occupied land. She had listened to too many of people's worries and fears that had plagued their minds at night to think anything of it.

The young women worked in silence in order to complete their duties. When the kitchen was finally back to its normal state, Caroline made her way to the dining table to sit with her friend. She took a small bite of the bread in order to secretly test the waters without Katherine noticing. However, she wasn't as stealthy as she thought she was.

"It's not poison for crying out loud! Just eat it." Katherine huffed and crossed her arms as she noticed her friends hesitant face.

Bracing herself, Caroline took a big bite. _Here goes nothing. _After chewing the bread longer than normal, Caroline finally swallowed wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad. _Looks like I will live after all, _Caroline thought.

Noticing her friend's reaction, Katherine relaxed in her seat while a triumphantly victorious sly smile spread across her face.

After finishing her slice, Caroline knew it was time to get to business. Plenty of work was in store for the day. "Can you help me in the fields this morning? I want to gather as much as I can so I have time to fill the quotas as well as go into town and sell whatever we have left."

Katherine reached over and reassuringly took hold of her friend's hand. "Of course Caroline, I'll do anything for you. I will tend to the animals as well when you go into town."

"Thanks!" Caroline smiled. "But first you should probably go and wash out your hair, you have flour and god knows what else in there."

The two girls couldn't help but burst out into laughter after Caroline's statement.

After the young women finished consuming the newly baked bread, and Katherine's quick shower, they made their way out to the fields. The cool breeze of the April morning winds welcomed them to the fields ensuring that the first couple hours of work would be rather comfortable. By the time midday rolled around, the scorching sun beat down on their backs as they gathered all they had extracted from the fields and placed them in the quota bags.

This had been Caroline's life for the past two years.

At the beginning of September 1939, both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia began their invasion of Poland, and by the end of the month, Poland had been completely partitioned. All of Poland was divided up between Germany and Russia, which left the citizens with little free will. You either did as the Germans said, or watched them shoot you or the ones you loved. Caroline had seen horrors she never dared of seeing. Innocent people were being thrown out of their homes so German soldiers could occupy it which left them homeless on the street. She'd seen innocent people getting beaten and humiliated publically for breaking a minor rule such as stealing a loaf of bread. People were also being transported to other parts of Europe or located in ghettos in Poland. Caroline did not know what happened to those people, but as of now once you were moved, you never came back. Much of Poland was in a state of poverty due to the fact that all of their food supply and farming goods had gone to the German soldiers in order for it to be shipped back to their homeland. This left little to no food for the people in Poland, but the Germans could not care less. Germans believed themselves to be superior to the Polish people.

Caroline spent her days as a slave to the German's orders. She would wake up, pick potatoes, beetroot and barley from her fields, then package them up only to hand them off to the German soldiers. She would then prepare dinner with what little rations she had left and then spend the rest of the hours waiting for her love to finally return home. Working on the edge of her farm away from civilization, Caroline took a seat on a haystack and closed her eyes in an attempt to escape her exhaustion and absorb the peacefulness of her surroundings. She drifted back to a time where she heard birds chirping, instead of gunshots and screaming. The past two years had made Caroline numb to all of her surroundings. She desperately tried to remember a time when she had been truly happy; at the moment she could not think of one.

Wiping sweat from her forehead, Katherine looked over to her friend and found her sitting with her eyes closed. She wondered what she was thinking. It looked as if she was concentrating hard, trying to remember something. Whatever it was, the brunette did not want to disrupt her thoughts.

After a few more moments of stillness, Katherine decided to speak up. She knew how neurotic Caroline could get if you ran off schedule, or if something did not go according to plan. "If you don't need my help anymore, I am going to go tend to the animals. Your lovely horse is starting to develop quite the odor."

The sound of her friend's voice broke Caroline from her thoughts and reality sank back it. No matter how much Caroline dreamed of escaping this place she knew she never would be able to, at least not until the war was over. And at this point, it seemed that the war would drag on forever. Hitler had spread his influence over so many countries; all that really remained free were Britain, America and Canada. For all Caroline knew, Hitler would win the war and her life would forever be enslaved to the German people.

Another question also remained, if she was freed, would she really leave? Caroline did not know the answer.

Sighing, Caroline stood up and began to fumble with the packages of food. "You're right. No time for breaks, I'm going to make my way into town and deliver the quotas and then head to the market. Will you be alright here?"

"I got it under control Caroline." Katherine placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders in an attempt to ease her worrying mind. "Just relax."

"Okay." Caroline took a deep breath. "But please whatever you do, don't cook. I would like to come back home and see my house standing. With your luck you would end up burning it down."

Katherine couldn't help but laugh at her friends words. "Alright I won't, I promise."

Caroline gave her friend a quick smile before she made her way into town. If there was anything Katherine was good at it was keeping a promise.

During her walk into town, Caroline kept on thinking about the day that she found Katherine and how her life had dramatically changed ever since. Having a companion in her home had made the war so much more bearable for Caroline. Not only did she have an extra pair of hands on the field but she had also found someone who she could confide in and trust during the war. Sure, it was nice being able to stress less about the quotas and not fear the penalties and retaliation from the Germans, but she also had someone to talk to at night. Prior to Katherine, Caroline was all by herself during the war and was forced to cope with the anxiety, stress and fear of occupation on her own. Neighbours turned against each other in order to detach themselves from people the German's may have considered trouble. German soldiers were unpredictable; innocent people could be accused of participating in some sort of crime and those who had relations with them could also suffer the consequences. Caroline no longer talked to her old friends and if she did, it was a quick hello and how are you. During those times, Caroline felt infinitely and utterly alone.

When Caroline arrived in town the atmosphere was drastically different than it was on a daily basis. It was buzzing with life; more bodies were packed into the market square than usual. Continuing her pursuit to the quota truck, Caroline also noticed that people were talking with excitement and hope than their usually dull and fragmented voices. Observing her surroundings a bit more intently, she mentally noted that happiness and longing were present in everyone's facial expressions. _How Strange,_ Caroline thought. She hadn't seen this many people in the market square and excited since before the war. Some sort of event must be occurring that Caroline was not informed of. After she cast aside her quota bags in the drop off area, the curious blonde decided to investigate.

From a distance, she spotted an old family friend. "Jenna!" Caroline called out.

Jenna quickly whipped her head around at the sound of her name. Moments later, she noticed a graceful blonde waving to her from the quota area. "Caroline!" Jenna smiled as she lifted her skirt from the ground and ran toward her old companion. When the two girls finally met they embraced themselves in a long and lingering hug.

Several minutes passed before the two women slowly released each other from their grasp. Jenna took a long and hard look at Caroline. The girl looked worn and tried, no doubt from a long day of work, but she still carried an aura of optimism and confidence with her. Jenna was constantly amazed at how Caroline could take care of that farm by herself and still hold such a positive attitude. "How have you been?" Jenna asked. "It has been awhile."

"I'm alright; you know taking it one day at a time. How are you? How are Elena and Jeremy doing?" Caroline had been friends with Elena since she was born. The two were inseparable but that was until Elena's parents died during the invasion of Poland. Not only did Elena keep to herself from that moment on, but the fear of German soldiers kept people indoors. Being the only relative left in Poland, Jenna decided to take in her sisters children.

"They are doing better, still hurt but day by day getting better. I'm worried for Jeremy though. He turns eighteen in a couple of weeks and I am afraid the German's will send him off to war." Jenna began to nervously play with her sandy brown hair as worry and fear began to overshadow her face.

Being all too familiar with conscription, Caroline could sympathise with Jenna. Not only was Jenna's husband Alaric sent away but she couldn't imagine what it would be like worrying about two family members at war, wondering if you were ever going to see them again. It was hard enough worrying about one.

"Hopefully the war is over by then." Caroline stated as she placed a reassuring hand on her old acquaintances shoulder. Those were the only words Caroline could think of that would comfort her friend.

Jenna silently nodded her head with a defeated expression on her face.

That was when Caroline noticed a tall brunette man in the distance behind Jenna. He seemed to be carrying one large bag and looking for someone. There was something oddly familiar about this man as Caroline squinted her eyes in an attempt to get a better look.

Her eyes sprung open as her mouth gaped. "Jenna…" Caroline began but could not finish. She was at loss for words.

Noticing the blank expression on her friends face, Jenna became alarmed. "What. What is it Caroline, is something wrong?" Caroline looked like she had seen a ghost.

The blonde did not move her eyes from the figure as he began to make his way towards where they were currently standing. Shock overcame her. "Is that…."

Noticing that Caroline's eyes were locked on something in the distance, Jenna turned around in order to see what her friends mind was currently occupied with. Happiness and excitement suddenly overcame Jenna as her gaze fell to the figure approaching them. "Alaric!" Jenna cried out as she ran toward her husband and embraced him with a long and passionate kiss. Jenna had been waiting for this moment all day.

It was the type of kiss that you would normally see during theatre productions or films; no one ever expected to witness them occur in real life. As soon as Jenna reached Alaric, he lifted her up in the air and swung her around before he gently lowered her and planted his lips on hers. It was a slow kiss; it seemed that they both were trying to savour the moment. Caroline was half expecting to hear music begin in the background; the way the two of them looked at each other made it seem like there was no one else in the world but them. How Caroline longed for that feeling.

After witnessing the display of affection, Caroline ran over to the couple and welcomed Alaric with a warm hug. "Oh my god, you are okay!" Caroline could not believe her eyes, there wasn't even a scratch on him.

"Nice to see you too, Caroline." Alaric smiled as one arm instinctively wrapped itself around Caroline. After several moments, he slowly released the blonde and threw his arm back around his wife.

"What are you doing here?" An excited Caroline questioned. "I thought you were conscripted."

A confused Jenna began to answer before Alaric could even get a word in. "Didn't you hear Caroline? Polish soldiers got a three day pass to come home and regenerate."

_What. _Caroline thought. Her heart suddenly stopped beating. Jenna's words kept on replaying in her head. Soldiers…. Three day pass… Home. Butterflies began to accumulate in her stomach to the point where she was nauseous with excitement. _He could be home; he could be in Poland right now!_

"Matt," was all Caroline could whisper as she came out of her thoughts. After another long pause, Caroline realized what Jenna's words truly meant and began to frantically look around the market as she began to yell Matt's name, "Matthew!"

Realization suddenly clicked in Caroline's head. That's why there were so many excited people in the market square today. Soldiers were coming home; it wasn't for good but they were home none-the-less.

Not seeing his face anywhere in the market, Caroline turned her attention back to Alaric. "Have you seen Matt? How come I did not know about this?" Caroline was at the point of hyperventilation.

Noticing how worked up Caroline was getting, Alaric placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. "Relax, Caroline."

Caroline took a few steady deep breaths which slowly relaxed her body. Stressing would not do her any good.

"I haven't seen Matt, but I am sure he wanted to surprise you. He is probably home right now waiting for you." After hearing Alaric's words, Caroline did not want to wait a moment longer.

"Home… right, yeah he would be there!" Caroline quickly kissed both her friends on the check before she ran off. "Thanks!" She looked back and yelled as she began her frantic pursuit back home.

Adrenaline was coursing through Caroline's body, she was sprinting the whole way home not wanting to waste any time that she and Matt may have together. She could just picture him sitting in the living room now reading a book or sitting outside under the willow tree, silently waiting for her to return home. _Matthew is home._ A permanent smile continued to grow on Caroline's face. She could not wait to see him, to touch him, to kiss him, to be with him. _God it's been so long. I need him. _

She could just imagine the shock that would be on Matt's face when he walked into the house and noticed a brown haired and brown eyed stranger roaming freely around the house. _That will be tough to explain to him_, Caroline thought as she exclusively remembered that Matt told her to stay out of trouble and away from strangers while he was away. It was a good thing that Matt was a very understanding and genuine person; he would come to accept Katherine into the family just like she did. The only thing that worried Caroline was that Katherine was scaring Matt off before she could even introduce the two. Katherine has a very free spirited personality and loved to play tricks on people. Hopefully she didn't damage anything beyond repair.

Caroline paused outside her home in an attempt to catch her breath. _A few more steps and I will be with Matt, _An excited Caroline thought. A few more deep breaths and she began her climb up the path to her home.

That was when Caroline noticed her friend Katherine running from the front door toward her. She wondered what was wrong considering how frantic she looked. _Maybe she thinks Matt is a German soldier and is coming for her. _They after all did wear the same uniform. Caroline eventually picked up her pace in order to meet her friend.

"Katherine, is everything ok? What's wrong?" Caroline asked the girl.

Katherine shook her head frantically, her lips slightly trembling. "I don't know Caroline, but there is a German officer at your door wanting to speak to you."


	4. Chapter 3 -The End of An Affair

**Authors Note: Welcome back everyone! Here is the next chapter... It is a little shorter than normal but I felt like this part needed to be broken up into two chapters.**

**Also just wanted to warn you guys this chapter and the next is Meroline (Matt and Caroline) heavy. I promise these are the only chapters that will be Meroline heavy... it's just essential for character development that's all :)**

**With that said I hope you enjoy! **

**Please leave reviews! Also, I would love to hear your theories about how Klaus and Caroline will meet... we have a couple more chapters to go. **

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**Chapter 3 - The End of an Affair **

Caroline stared at her friend and analyzed the fear that was present on her face. There were only two reasons why German soldiers came to your door. Either you didn't give enough food to satisfy the Germans and they came to your home to hound you for more, or they were delivering news of a loved one's death. By the look on Katherine's face, she could tell her friend was horrified and scared. Caroline took a deep breath and shook away all of the negative thoughts that coursed through her mind. After all, Katherine may be thinking that the soldiers may have figured out her Bulgarian roots and that they are here to punish both her and Caroline.

Taking a deep breath, Caroline began to speak. "Relax Katherine, did you happen to get a name from the soldier?"

Slowly the brunette's expression transformed from fear to confusion. Why would the name of the soldier matter? Katherine sifted through her mind in an attempt to see what Caroline was getting at. Finally she spoke up. "No, he just asked to speak with you." She looked up to her friend expecting some sort of answer.

Panic subsided within Caroline as her friend's words acted as a sort of reassurance. Placing reassuring hands on Katherine's shoulders, Caroline spoke in an excited tone. "Don't worry, it's probably Matt! The Polish soldiers got a three day leave!" Caroline exclaimed as she began her descent once again toward the house. "They wear German uniforms!"

Katherine stood frozen in her spot. _Matt?_ She silently thought. Katherine had learned a lot about Caroline in the past three months since she was welcomed into her home. Katherine was introduced to Matthew Donovan through a variety of different memories and pictures that Caroline shared in an energized manner. The brunette recalled the hours of babbling that Caroline made her sit through. _Could it really be Matt_, she silently thought. Mentally, Katherine compared the images she had seen of Matt to the soldier that was waiting for Caroline on the front porch. That was when she began to chase after her friend.

"Caroline, wait!"

When Caroline reached the front porch panic struck her once again. The soldier standing there was not blonde nor did he have blue eyes; it was a stranger, someone she did not know. Attempting to stay calm, she prayed to God that the soldier was here because she did not give enough rations last week. Her momentary pause allowed Katherine to catch up to Caroline. The brunette remained still as she waited for her friend to make a move.

Swallowing and putting on a brave face, Caroline spoke. "Hello sir. I am Caroline Forbes and this is my cousin Katherine Pierce. Sorry for the delay I was in town delivering my rations but please come in and make yourself comfortable." Caroline then noticed that the soldier was carrying a pack and began to wonder what was in it.

As soon as the soldier stepped over the threshold he began to introduce himself. "Good afternoon Miss Forbes, my name is Sargent Tyler Lockwood." He removed his hat and placed it underneath his arm before extending out his hand for Caroline to shake.

Looking down toward the hand, Caroline carefully took it. "Good afternoon Sgt. Lockwood, may I ask what brings you to my home this afternoon? Did I do something wrong?" Caroline looked up to the German soldier nervously. Maybe she should have not questioned his authority. Maybe she should have offered him some refreshments. Caroline did not know how she should behave in this sort of situation; her eyes kept on darting to the pack that the man was carrying. The more she looked, the more anxious she became.

He shook his head and cleared his throat, "Actually no Miss Forbes, I am here to bring you some news."

And with those eight words, Caroline's heart began its slow and agonizing break. Caroline looked up at Sgt. Lockwood and knew what he was about to say, but she could not bring herself to accept it.

"I am here to regretfully inform you that your fiancé, Private Matthew Donovan was killed in action two days ago. He died a brave soldier fighting proudly for the German cause. Here in this bag it holds a few personal items that he brought with him to battle." Walking over to a table Caroline had placed near the entrance of her house, Sargent Lockwood gently placed the bag down and removed a folded white flag and Matt's dog tags from the top layer of the worn bag. The German Sargent slowly reached out and handed it to Caroline.

Caroline stared at the folded flag for what seemed like an eternity. She had always heard stories about women receiving white flags when their sons or husbands perished at war, but she never in a million years believed that she would be one of those women. This flag that she heard so many stories about represented the end of a life fighting for a cause. No scratch that – this flag represented the end of her life. The love of her life was gone, her best friend was gone, and there was nothing that she could do. All of the dreams they dreamt together were no longer an option. She was a widow before she could even get married.

Time began to slow as her mind flashed back to the day that Matt proposed to her. It seemed like ages ago, but it had only been four years since Caroline could call Matt her fiancé. She remembered the blossoming of spring and the smell of morning dew when Matt got down on one knee and proposed to her under her favourite willow tree out back. She could still hear his voice.

"_Caroline." _

"_Yes Matt?" _

"_You can open your eyes now."_

Caroline remembered how she was blindfolded as he said he had a surprise waiting for her. An eager Caroline ripped off the blindfold and opened her eyes to find herself engulfed by the branches of a willow tree. Looking down she remembered seeing Matt on one knee with a nervous smile across his face; his next words would be forever etched into her mind.

"_Caroline Forbes, you are the love of my life. When I first met you, I was struck by your beauty and as I got to know you, I was even more awestruck by your personality. It was then that I knew someone special had entered into my life. Before I met you I felt stuck. I felt as if I was just going through the motions of life not even noticing what was going on around me. Now I feel like I am living once again as you can bring sunshine to the gloomiest day and a smile to everyone's face. Your positive attitude and optimist makes me want to be a better person and look for the good in life, rather than dwelling on the bad. You are my best friend and are constantly making me a better man. I cannot imagine another day without you by my side, and I want to be able to call you mine forever… Caroline Forbes, will you marry me?" _

Prior to that day, Caroline thought she knew what happiness was. It wasn't until she said yes to Matt that Caroline knew what true happiness was. All Caroline wanted in life was to find love, marry her best friend and start a family. She remembered the joy that overcame her as Matt slipped the ring on her finger; at the time Caroline couldn't help but smile at the fact that all of her dreams were coming true. The blonde would have even described her life as being perfect.

Of course, she should have known that everything was too good to be true.

Looking up from the flag back to Sgt. Lockwood, Caroline asked in a shaky voice, "H-How did he die?"

"After examining his body, it was evident to see that he was shot in the heart." Sgt. Lockwood replied.

Caroline was at least relieved that Matt had a quick death and that he did not suffer in the end. She could not imagine how agonizing his last moments would have been if he was wounded and left on the battlefield to bleed to death. It would have been torturous to be wounded and not have the ability to do anything but wait until death finally came. At least this way was quick and fast, almost peaceful even though Caroline knew deep down that this war was anything but.

Grabbing the flag and the dogs tags from the German soldier, Caroline collapsed to the floor while the items rested in her lap.

Katherine stood behind her friend as she let her mouth drop at the news. She stood frozen in horror, taking it all the information in. Even though the brunette did not personally know Matt, his loss had hit her as well. She would never get to meet the wonderful man Caroline had told her so many stories about.

After Caroline got over the initial shock of the news, tears began to flood Caroline's eyes. _He's gone… He's really gone. _

The German took Caroline's action as his queue to leave. He shifted uncomfortably on the spot and placed his hat back on his head before he cleared his throat and spoke up. "My condolences, Miss Forbes." Sgt. Lockwood stated before he escorted himself out of Caroline's house, allowing her to grieve the death of her loved one. He would come by in the next couple of days in order to go over business with her. With the man of the household dead, Caroline had the possibility of losing everything.

As soon as the German soldier left, Katherine ran over to Caroline in an attempt to get her off of the ground. Silent tears were leaking out of her friend's eyes as she repeated the same words over and over again in a silent mutter. "He's gone, He's gone…"

"Care…" Katherine hesitantly crouched down and placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders in an attempt to provide some sort of comfort.

Caroline's head shot up and bloodshot teary eyes meet Katherine's gaze. The look that Caroline gave Katherine was one of loss and dread. For the first time the young woman saw hopelessness and emptiness grace her friend's face. In that moment, the Caroline Katherine knew was gone.

"He's gone…" Caroline did not break her eye contact with Katherine; she continued to look at her friend hoping she would tell her this was all a bad dream. "He can't be gone! I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S GONE!" Caroline screamed as she hugged the white flag and the dog tags closer to her chest. The tears that escaped Caroline's eyes eventually turned into sobs that left the young woman hyperventilating.

Gently grabbing her arm and placing it on her shoulder, Katherine was able to get Caroline off of the ground. She knew her friend would probably want to grieve in private so she helped the young blonde up the stairs, into her room and then laid Caroline carefully on the bed. The blue eyed girl's body began to tremble along the journey as she was struck with grief. All Katherine could do was quietly sit beside her and hold her friend's hand while she watched the tears roll freely down her face. She had no idea what to say to her heartbroken friend. She knew all too well what Caroline was going through and feeling; to lose someone you love, let alone a future with them. Endless possibilities were now gone for Caroline. It leaves a gaping hole in your heart and no words or comfort or encouragement could make the loss and despair go away. Katherine stayed with Caroline, holding her hand and letting her cry until the girl eventually fell asleep. She hated to see her friend in so much pain, but being by her side was the only thing she could think of to comfort her.

Once Caroline was sound asleep, Katherine got up and took a long look at her friend. It broke her heart seeing Caroline's tear-stained face asleep, protectively hugging the white flag and dog tags close to her heart. In that moment Caroline looked like an innocent little girl hugging her favourite teddy bear in bed oblivious to the horrors of the world around her; once she wakes up that innocence would be once again lost. Katherine promised herself that she would do whatever it took to help Caroline move on with her life. Obviously she would allow Caroline to grieve, she just lost the love of her life, but Katherine would use all of her power to get her life back on track. She would help Caroline, like Trevor and Rose helped her. After all, Caroline saved her so now it was Katherine's turn to return the favour.

Eventually Caroline would learn that life goes on.

After glancing one more time at her friend, Katherine walked back downstairs to make a pot of tea when she noticed that the pack that the soldier brought in still remained on the table in the front hall. She glanced back up to Caroline's room and decided to empty it in order to make things easier for the sleeping girl before she woke up. As she was emptying the bag, Katherine pulled out a curled up picture of Matt and Caroline. This picture instantly brought quiet tears to Katherine's eyes for the first time. The brunette had never seen a couple so happy and in love. Matt and Caroline were looking at each other with their arms around one another smiling, or maybe they were laughing. It wasn't so much the picture that shocked her but the condition that it was in. The picture was all torn and dirty and if Katherine looked hard enough, she could even see stains of blood. Without having ever met Matt, she could tell how much he loved Caroline just by looking at the condition of the picture. He literally went through hell trying to come home to the one he loved.

Putting the picture down, Katherine began to empty the rest of the bag. There was a pack of smokes. _Since when did he smoke? Caroline never said anything about him smoking?_ There was a harmonica, his uniform and a journal that was soaked right through that made it no longer legible. The last thing that Katherine pulled out of the pack was a letter. The letter was sealed in an envelope; obviously Matt had the intention to send this letter to Caroline but he never got the chance to. Katherine was eager to know what was inside the letter but she wouldn't violate her friend's trust and personal space.

She grabbed the picture and letter along with a glass of water and marched back upstairs to Caroline's room, leaving the contents on Caroline's side table before she quietly exited the room leaving her friend to sleep.


	5. Chapter 4 - Haunted

**Authors Note: Here it is, chapter 4! **

**Just wanted to let you all know that I will probably be updating once or twice a month. **

**Thank you for the lovely reviews, please leave more! **

**Feel free to follow me on tumblr and ask as many questions as u want! I have it posted in my about me box but my url is wave-of-desire :)**

**P.S. I put a Taylor Swift reference in this chapter :P**

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**Chapter 4 – Haunted **

Caroline was sitting on her front porch anxiously biting her lip and shaking her legs. Matt should be home any minute; either her world would be turned upside down or she would continue to live in her somewhat happy bubble. Her world would be perfect if she was free to do as she pleases, as well as travel around her hometown without fearing the German soldiers. Time seemed to stretch on as she stared at the path leading to her house. Caroline did not dare to take her eyes off of it. After what seemed like an eternity, Matt finally rounded the corner.

At the sight of him, Caroline could no longer suppress the energy that built up inside of her during the hours of waiting she endured; she ran up to her fiancé and embraced him with a passionate kiss. In that moment, all the worries she had minutes before disappeared. Right here, right now, Matt was with her and that was all that mattered. When the embrace was over Caroline looked into her lovers eyes and saw a saddened look upon his face. He had a small smile on his face no doubt from the lingering kiss they just shared, but his eyes told a different story.

"I have to go. They want me."

Caroline just stared into his blue eyes as his words caused a hurricane inside of her. She knew this would happen, that the Germans would conscript him into the war but hearing it out loud made it that much more real.

Caroline could no longer take the feeling any more; she looked away from Matt's eyes in an attempt to get a grip on herself.

Matt spoke up in a somber tone. "I have to leave tomorrow morning and I can only bring a few belongings."

Caroline's head snapped up after hearing his words. _Tomorrow morning_? She questioned silently. That gave them no time at all. How was she supposed to say goodbye in just one night. Caroline was not mentally prepared for Matt to leave so soon, she needed time to accept the decisions that the Germans had made for them. Dwelling on his sudden departure and the realization that she may never see Matt again, Caroline began hyperventilating in a panic.

"No you can't go! I won't let them take you away from me! Let's run away together, get out of Poland. We can go to America or Canada. We could probably sneak on a ship tonight and be safe by tomorrow! We could get married, have ten kids and teach them how to dream. If we left we would be guaranteed a family and the chance to grow old together! Let's do this Matt; please I cannot live without you by my side." Caroline blurted out with tears streaming down her face. No, she was not going to let the Germans and this war take Matt away from her. They could have everything else for all she cared.

"Caroline, you know we can't do that. We would get caught in a second. There are German soldiers patrolling every street and not to mention every possible way out of this country. If we ran away, we would end up being dead." Matt said, pointing out the reality of the situation. He would not let the Germans take Caroline's life away even if it meant he had to risk his own life. He would show up for deportation tomorrow making sure Caroline stayed safely behind.

Caroline shook her head as she disagreed with his words. "No, No, No. I will not let them take you away from me Matt! I won't let them do that!" Caroline screamed as she began to hysterically sob.

"Hey you, listen to me now," Matt said as he cupped Caroline's face gently in his hands willing her to try and calm down. "I'm not going to go anywhere. I won't let anything happen to me. I am going to take care of myself and return home to you and when I get back we are going to have the big beautiful wedding that you have been dreaming of, and we are going to have lots of children and grow old together. I am never going to leave you Caroline." With that said, Matt grabbed Caroline and pulled her into a long hug for he might have only a small number of her embraces left in his life. "Now, let's go inside and enjoy each other's company before I need to leave in the morning, but Caroline… promise me one thing."

"What is it Matt, you know I will do anything for you."

"Stay out of trouble and keep a low profile. It's just as dangerous here as it is out on the battlefield and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I promise Matt. I promise."

xxxx

Caroline woke up startled and disoriented in her bed as she was jolted awake from the dream she was having. _Or was it a memory_? Sweat covered Caroline as she placed a hand on her chest in an attempt to control her heavy breathing. In order to calm herself, she looked outside her window and noticed that the sun had disappeared as rain danced down from a now grey sky_. _She thought back to the beauty of dawn that memorized her earlier that day, and how it reminded her how quickly things could change. The gloominess of the outdoors seemed to reflect what Caroline was feeling, pathetic fallacy at its best. Matt was dead and her future was gone. Completely shattered, Caroline no longer felt pain. She cried all the tears she had for now, leaving nothing but numbness to course through her veins.

Caroline looked down to her lap and noticed that she was still clutching the white flag and dog tags that had Matthew's name engraved on it. Wanting to get the items out of her sight and into a safe place, Caroline was about to place it on her bedside table before she noticed a select few objects that were not there before she fell asleep. Dropping the flag and dog tags on her bed, Caroline stared at the glass of water and the picture of her and Matt. Caroline picked up the picture to analyze it when she noticed something behind it. It was a letter that had fallen to the floor when Caroline moved the picture. All the blonde could do was stare at the letter that she assumed was from Matt; several minutes later she eventually picked it up and placed it in her drawer along with the picture of her and Matt. She could not bring herself to read it just yet. These were the last words she was going to ever hear from Matt. Right now the pain was just too fresh, she needed to give herself some time.

How much time, she didn't know.

After finishing the glass of water Caroline assumed Katherine got for her, she traveled downstairs in order to thank her friend. Walking into the kitchen Caroline placed the glass in the sink while Katherine was sitting at the table making herself a snack with the leftover bread.

Hearing footsteps, Katherine snapped her head up to see Caroline standing by the kitchen sink. "Oh good you're up, I was beginning to worry about you."

"What do you mean, what was there to be worried about?" Caroline questioned the brunette with a puzzled look.

"You fell asleep early afternoon yesterday, about an hour or so after the soldier left. You cried yourself to sleep and slept through the rest of the day, as well as the night completely undisturbed. I did not want to wake you, you needed your rest but I am glad you're up now."

"I slept that long? Katherine you should have woken me, we have so much work to do! What time is it? We are never going to reach this week's quotas! We must get to the fields right away!" Caroline exclaimed as she was frantically running around the house looking for her shoes. _God damn it where did I put my _sh_oes!_

"Caroline! Relax, it's okay. It is only two hours past dawn and you need your time to grieve, I have been through this before and I know you are in denial right now and are trying to distract yourself. You need time to accept what has happened."

Caroline looked up at her friend startled by her words. In the few months Caroline had lived with Katherine she thought she learned everything about the girl that she could. Now that she thought about it, the brunette did not tell her much about her life before she came to Poland.

The brown eyed beauty was also right; Caroline was attempting to keep her thoughts busy and away from Matt.

The brunette reached over to grab her friend's hand. "Do not stress yourself out with work Care. I will tend to the fields. A few of your neighbours have agreed to help and they extend their deepest condolences. Matt is a great loss for them too, he was always there when someone needed a hand. Just relax, I do not want you stressing yourself out." Katherine was worried for her friend. She was afraid that Caroline might go overboard dealing with Matt's death along with the unreasonable quotas. Caroline took care of her, and Katherine vowed to do the best she could to keep Caroline's health in check.

All Caroline could do was nod to her friend's words as silent tears began to escape from her eyes. Katherine reached up to her friends face and wiped one away. "It will be okay, I promise."

"Katherine?" Caroline questioned as she looked deep into her friends eyes.

"Yeah, Care?"

"Why did you leave Bulgaria? You said you wanted to escape Nazi rule but I think there is more to it. What happened?" Caroline felt guilty considering Katherine was helping her through her pain, but Caroline didn't even know what Katherine was suffering from. Due to the statement she made earlier, about losing loved ones, and the re-occurring nightmares, Caroline knew something tragic must have happened.

"Oh sweetie… Don't you worry about it, that's a tale for another time." A small smile appeared on the brunettes face as she attempted to remain strong for her friend.

"Please Katherine, I need to know. I want to help you through your pain, just as you are helping me now." Pleading blue eyes bore into Katherine waiting for some sort of response.

"You already have Caroline..."

The blonde quickly cut her friend off, her voice now strong and stern. "Please."

All Katherine could do was sigh; there was no point in arguing with Caroline. Since Caroline was the only person Katherine had in her life she would eventually find out, if not now then sometime in the foreseeable future. "In Bulgaria my family and I used to live in the countryside. I grew up there; it was peaceful and quiet, undisturbed by humanity. I used to describe it as my own peace of heaven on earth." Katherine smiled as she looked out into space visualizing what she remembered of her home. Suddenly the smile turned into a frown.

"In 1930s during the depression, I traveled into town in an attempt to help the starving people as the first Great War impacted our supplies gravely. Since we lived on a farm, we were able to produce more than enough food for ourselves and others, people in the cities were literally left to fend for themselves. A majority of people who lived in the countryside turned their back on the city folk, greed overcame them as they let innocent people starve to death. A funny thing what hunger and desperation can do to a human, it's almost like we revert back to our animalistic instincts."

Caroline couldn't help but frown at her friend's story. Caroline vaguely remembered the Great Depression that plagued the entire world as she was only ten years old when it first began. Even though she did not really understand what was going on until her later years, Caroline remembered the hunger and despair people suffered.

"When I first entered the countryside, I immediately knew something was not right. The air grew thick, making it hard to breathe. It smelt of gun powder, gasoline and fumes. When I looked up and into the distance I noticed smoke arising from a variety of locations. That was when I began to run. When I got home my house was on fire and I did not see any sight of my family. A rush of adrenaline must have kicked through me as I ran into the burning house. One by one, I passed the bodies of my mother and my two teenage sisters as I entered the house. The smoke was so think I couldn't tell how they died; I attempted to shake them awake but I got no response."

New tears began to fill Caroline's eyes as she could just imagine what it would be like to see your whole family slaughtered. The pain that was apparent on Katherine's face shattered the blonde's broken heart in new ways she did not think possible.

"It was then that I heard a quiet cry…. The desperate wails of a baby." Katherine began to shed tears as her voice began to develop a higher pitch. Caroline couldn't help but draw in a breath at the mention of the youngling.

"When I entered my daughter's room, I found my father dead hunched over the crib. The last thing he did on this earth was try to save my precious bundle of joy."

Katherine paused in an attempt to calm herself as memories and images of that fateful day began emerge in her mind.

"I grabbed her and ran out of the house as quick as possible. I don't know how long she was in there breathing in the toxic fumes… But it was long enough. When I brought her outside she was gasping for air while her heart beat frantically in her tiny body. I was too far to make it to a medical center in time, so I began to sing. I sang to my daughter as it was the only think I could think of doing in order to ease her pain as she exited this world. The moment I stopped singing was the moment she grew still in my arms."

Both girls sat in silence for what felt like hours as they both shamelessly let tears roll down their face for everything they had lost. Katherine's story made Caroline experience a new sort a loss. It was the loss one would feel for a friend; for a future they got a taste of and then suddenly ripped away.

Katherine cleared her throat and spoke up once again. "Turns out it was rebels from the city who were fed up with the country folk for not helping. I was not the only one to lose family that day." Wiping away her final tear, Katherine attempted to be optimistic once more for her friend. "I now have a beautiful guardian angel watching over me, without her I do not think I would have survived this war or met you for that matter. Trust me Caroline; everything works out for a reason."

Those few words brought a small Smile back To Caroline's face. "What was her name?"

Katherine smiled as she remembered her daughter. Reaching down into her shirt, the brunette pulled out a gold locket and opened it to show Caroline; one side held a picture of her biological family while the other had a picture of the most beautiful baby one could ever lay eyes on. "Her name is Nadia."

"That is a beautiful name." Caroline smiled.

"I don't know if you noticed but there was a letter in the bag addressed to you from Matt…"

"Yes I saw it," Caroline stated as she rose from the kitchen table and walked in circles in disbelief in what her life has turned into. "I haven't read it yet. I don't know if I can Katherine. The words in that letter are the last words I am ever going to hear from Matt, and I don't know if I'm ready to face that yet. I feel like if I read that letter it just finalizes everything. I keep expecting him to walk through the door and grace us with his smile. It doesn't feel like he's gone Katherine, he's still here, he is out there somewhere!" The numbness that Caroline felt a couple of hours ago evaporated, leaving pain in its wake.

"Care, listen to me. He is not gone. He is still with you. Matt will forever hold a place in your heart and the memory of him will live on in you. He is in heaven looking over you as your guardian angel, death cannot separate you two, and death does not make him stop loving you. He still does and forever will. I think you should read that letter as it might give you comfort and closer. If you do not read it, it will invade your mind in the many days to come and will leave you dwelling on the fact that he is dead."

"You're right Katherine, but there is just so much work to do and…" Caroline looked around frantically, he mind scattered to the point the girl didn't even notice her own body shaking.

_Seriously, where are my shoes? _

"Shh… I told you I have it under control Caroline. There is no need for you to worry, just take your time." Katherine hushed quietly as she threw her arms around the shaking blonde.

xxxx

A few days had passed and everything remained relatively calm. Caroline would wake up every morning with a permanent emptiness in her heart as she looked at the sealed letter Matt wrote to her. She would shed a couple of tears before she put the letter back in her drawer. Every morning she would tell herself, _tomorrow_, but when tomorrow came she put the letter back into the dark drawer.

The first couple of days Caroline mostly did small chores around the house as she did not want to go outside and face her neighbours, or anyone else who wished to offer her sympathy. Katherine took on all the responsibilities that involved traveling into town or dealing with soldiers. Her friend also took control of the neighbours and friends who stopped by; she would whisk them away at the door stating that Caroline was not feeling well. There were only so many sympathy casseroles Caroline could endure. The blonde eventually returned to the fields as she found it to be a nice distraction for her wandering mind. As time progressed, the days grew hotter as the sun shone brighter.

One early morning, Caroline was baking corn bread while Katherine ate her breakfast silently at the table.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Both girls looked up to one another wondering who it could be. In her mind Caroline believed it to be another neighbour or friend who wanted to offer condolences for Private Matthew's death. "Katherine, I don't think I can handle visitors right now. I will not be able to talk about Matt without breaking down."

"Don't worry I will get the door, you stay here I will let you know who it is." Katherine stated to her friend as she made her way to the door expecting another one of Caroline's acquaintances. When the brunette opened the door she instead found Sergeant Tyler Lockwood standing on Caroline's porch. A baffled Katherine began to speak, "Sergeant Lockwood, we were not expecting anyone today, how may I help you?"

"Hello Miss Pierce. I am actually here to see Miss Forbes. I am here to discuss the estate due to the event of Private Donovan's death," Sergeant Lockwood addressed the brunette. "Is Caroline available or is she busy elsewhere?"

Katherine looked at Sergeant Lockwood with a confused expression. _Why would the estate need to be discussed, this is Caroline's house?_ Thinking quickly, Katherine attempted to come up with an excuse to get the German soldier to leave without rudely disobeying his orders. "Actually Sergeant, Caroline is still in bed. She is still in the process of grieving and..."

"Katherine, it is okay invite Sergeant Lockwood in, I am awake now," Caroline announced as she appeared behind her friend. She could not help to overhear the conversation Katherine was having with the Sergeant from her kitchen, and as much as she loved Katherine for trying to cover for her, Caroline thought it was best to get this discussion over with and not keep the Germans waiting. "Sergeant Lockwood, please come in."

"It's good to see you up and about Miss Forbes," Sergeant Lockwood announced as he walked into Caroline's house once again removing his hat before he offered his hand to the women. "I am here to discuss your estate in the event of Private Donovan's death; maybe it would be best if we were seated so I can explain the process with you. This may take a while."

"Yes of course, please make yourself comfortable at the kitchen table. We can discuss matters while my cousin makes us some tea." Caroline led Sergeant Lockwood toward the kitchen at took a seat at her kitchen table. Katherine eagerly walked over to the stove and started to boil some water while trying to pay attention to the conversation that was going on behind her.

"Now Miss Forbes, I am not sure if you are aware of the occupational policies that were put in place on matters of estate," Sergeant Lockwood began as he questioned Caroline.

"I was always under the assumption that citizens of Poland were able to continually live in their homes as they have been before occupation." Caroline answered with determination in her voice. She would not lose her home in this war. The Germans already stole Matt away from her; they are not going to get her house that she has lived in all of her life.

"Yes, well while you are correct in the past couple of months policies have changed. Property may remain in the hands of Polish citizens as long as there is a male owner attached to it while supporting the German war effort. In your case Miss Forbes, you were allowed to continually reside here because of your engagement to Matthew Donovan, along with his participation in the war. Even though this is your house, he resided here with you; your engagement to be married to Private Donovan essentially made him the owner of this house."

"What happens to those who do not meet the criteria of the new occupational policies?" Caroline questioned as she interrupted Sergeant Lockwood's explanation. She spoke in a stern and professional tone with determination in her voice.

"They get transported to the Polish Ghettos." Sergeant Lockwood answered as he received a cup of tea from Katherine whose hand began to tremble at the word ghetto. Even though Katherine was able to keep her identity a secret, her family came from gypsies who were unpopular within Bulgaria. Many of the gypsies resided in state ghettos and after visiting her cousins, Katherine knew a ghetto was not a place where one wanted to live.

"Thank you, Miss Pierce." Tyler offered the brunette a warm smile.

"You're welcome," Katherine replied as she took a seat beside Caroline. "With Matthew gone does this mean we will be transported to a Ghetto?" Katherine questioned as she looked over to Caroline. Katherine knew the look on Caroline's face; it was one of shock, denial and disbelief. Caroline was still processing all that had happened in the past few days and Katherine decided to continue on the conversation in order to make it easier for her friend.

"Well this is what I came here to discuss," Sergeant Lockwood answered. "The Nazi party is implementing a process which allows Germanization to occur."

"Germanization?" Caroline and Katherine both questioned at the same time.

"Yes well the Nazi party is wishing to 'Germanize' the people of occupied territories by spreading the German language, people and culture. Polish citizens that are no longer eligible to reside in their homes are transported to ghettos while German citizens or Soldiers take possession of the house. The Nazi party is also selecting Polish citizens that are seen to be fit and eligible for Germanization. Those selected will be taught the German language and culture."

"How does one know who is eligible?" Caroline questioned.

"In order to be eligible you must hold Aryan features such as blonde hair and blue eyes. This is a criteria because most German people have these features. Also, you must not be a Jew."

Caroline suddenly knew where this conversation was going. She met the criteria, she had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Caroline just prayed to god that they would not rip Katherine away from her. "So I'm assuming that if _we_ participate in Germanization, we will be able to keep the farm?"

"Yes Miss Forbes, you meet the criteria that the Nazi party is looking for. I will also be the one overseeing your transition into the German culture. Lastly, because you meet the criteria, Katherine will be able to stay. The rule is that if one person in the household meets criteria the rest of the household also gets to participate. We find that the best results emerge when the subject has their family with them."

As much as Caroline did not want to be Germanized, she saw she had no other choice. This was the only way she could protect herself and Katherine. Caroline heard stories about the ghetto life and the horrors that reside in them. Once you entered into a ghetto, there was a very slim chance that you were going to make it through the year. Disease and brutality plagued these areas; Caroline wished to stay as far away from them as possible. "Very well, Katherine and I will participate in this process."

Katherine looked over to Caroline as if she was crazy. There was no way in hell Katherine was going to become German after everything they had done to her. She would rather die.

"Very well, I will inform the other German officials and return another day to explain the process in more detail." Sergeant Lockwood excused himself and made his way back to the front door. He turned around a smiled at both women. "It was a pleasure to see you Miss Forbes and Miss Pierce, until we meet again." Sergeant Lockwood nodded at both ladies before he placed his uniform hat back on and exited the house.

Once Sergeant Lockwood was out of sight, Katherine quickly ran to the door, making sure it was completely shut. She turned back towards Caroline with a frantic look, "Caroline, are you crazy! There is no way in hell I am becoming German! I would rather die! I left my home for a reason! I did not want to be a filthy Nazi!"

"Relax Katherine, we are not going to become German. We will just pretend to be interested. I am not losing my home after I lost Matt and if we get thrown into ghettos, there is no way in hell that we are coming out! I promised Matt that I would take care of myself and stay out of trouble and I am going to keep to that promise. I also promised to take care of you and offer you a safe place to live. A ghetto is not a safe place and I will not back down on my promises!"

"But Caroline…"

"No buts! We are doing it. With any luck the war will be over soon and we will not have to go through with this process." Caroline could not believe what her life was coming to. She lost the love of her life and now she is being forced to become German. All Caroline wanted to do was go back to a time when things were easier. "Now if you don't mind I am going to get ready for the day and go for a walk around the fields. I will meet you again for lunch, but I just want to be alone right now." This was all too much for Caroline to take right now, her whole life changed in the short span of a week. Caroline couldn't think straight and needed some alone time to sort out her thoughts and the pros and cons to all of the decisions she was making. Maybe she would make a list…

Katherine could see how much pain her friend was in and pulled her in for a nice long hug. "I am here for you if you need me, I know what you are going through and I just want you to know that you are not alone."

Caroline couldn't help but give a small smile back to her friend. "I know Katherine, and for that I am forever thankful."

xxxx

After Caroline prepared herself for the day, she made her way back to the spot where Matthew proposed to her. Underneath the branches of the willow, Caroline felt as if she escaped back into her old life; a life where Matt was living and the future was hopeful. It felt fitting for Caroline to read the letter that Matt sent her in the place where their lives began, as his was now at an end. Caroline felt his presence here and knew that no matter what he said in the letter, he would be there comforting her as she grieved.

Caroline slowly pulled the letter out of her apron pocket and looked at it one final time. It was time that she faced this situation instead of avoiding it. No matter when she read this letter, whether it be in a few days or a year from now, it would still hurt her. Caroline remembered what Katherine told her when she first learned of Matt's demise, it was better to get this over with now and attempt to move on instead of dwell on Matt's death and extend the pain further. A shaking Caroline started to open the letter and quiet tears began to roll down her face. When the letter was finally opened, Caroline stared at it for what seemed like an eternity before she was able to focus on the scribbled hand written words.

_My Dearest Caroline, _

_ Words cannot express how much I miss your presence. I miss your smile and your bubbly laugh. I long to hear that laugh as it would be music to my ears, unlike the constant sound of guns and artillery that has become a reality in my life. I know I have told you a million times before but I miss the feel of you in my arms and the warmth of your kiss. It has been raining here the past three days and I am completely soaked through. One kiss from you would be enough to push all this darkness away. _

_ My next few words will bring you discomfort but please read them with an open mind. I know this is not something you want to hear but they are moving me to the front line. The Germans attempted an attack on Britain but many of their men were lost and are now moving us Poles up to the front to replace them. Please do not fear for me sweet Caroline as I will fight my way home to you and we will be together once again. _

_ As much as I want to give you hope and live in our perfect little world and dream of the day when we can reunite, we need to acknowledge the reality of war. There is a chance I will pass on this week as the British are determined to drive the Germans and their allies out. Just know that if I do perish in this war, I will always be with you and my love for you will live on. As much as it pains me to say this, but if there is a day where I am not here tomorrow I want you to eventually move on and find another love. You are young Caroline, and you have a full life ahead of you, with or without me. I do not want you to give up on your dreams; on the chance of getting married and having children just because I am no longer around. I know you will never stop loving me and I am holding onto that for dear life, but promise me one day that you will open your heart up again so you can live the rest of your life loving and being loved in returned. _

_ If I die tomorrow I know I will die a happy man because I have a woman I truly love and who loves me back. That is all I wanted in life, and that I have achieved. If I perish don't cry over the fact that my life ended too soon, but take comfort in knowing that I have experienced enough in my life to die a happy man. The best thing in life is to love and be loved in return. _

_I will fight my way home to you and will be in your arms once again. Until then keep my words in your mind. _

_I love you and forever will,_

_Matthew Donovan _

He knew, her Matthew knew he was going to die. Why else would he be saying all of this to her? How could he expect her to ever love another man? No one could ever replace the love she felt for Matt. Did he not know that? Caroline was ready to spend the rest of her life with Matt, how could she feel that way about another man? This was Matt's dying wish, she did not want to disrespect his wish, but her heart was telling her she could not do it. Breaking into a sob, Caroline stood up and ripped up the letter, throwing the pieces of paper to the ground dejectedly. She would never love another man again!

Caroline could not bear to be under that willow anymore as she could not handle Matt's last words. Caroline ran back to her house while loud sobs escaped her body. Katherine heard a loud bang coming from the back door and seconds later saw Caroline making her way up the stairs in a frantic pace.

"Caroline?" Katherine questioned, moving to the bottom of the stair case as she watched a blur of colours whisk around the corner. After she did not receive an answer from her friend, Katherine dropped what she was doing and made her way up to Caroline's room. Katherine quietly knocked on the door after she noticed it was locked. "Caroline, please let me in."

"Go away, I want to be alone!"

"I am not leaving until you open this door whether you like it or not!" Katherine needed to make sure Caroline was okay. She could not go about her day knowing her friend was crying uncontrollably locked in her room. Katherine kept on banging on the door until she heard the shuffling of little feet. Seconds later the door cracked open giving Katherine a view of Caroline's tear stained face. By analyzing the mood and behaviour of Caroline, Katherine assumed she had opened Matthew's letter. "Caroline, did you read the letter?"

"He knew he was going to die!" Caroline cried out desperately as her friend made her way over to her and hugged her tightly. "He wants me to move on and open my heart up to another man! I can't do that Kathrine, I won't do that! How does he expect me to do that?"

The blonde collapsed in her friend's embrace and surrendered to the tears running down her face.

She was no longer sad or missing Matt—no, now Caroline was furious at him.

How could he ever think of a thing like that?

* * *

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**Also, is anyone else curious as to what Klaus is up to?... **


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